All types of surgery, even the least invasive ones, have risks associated with it. However, besides the fact that even the best bariatric surgery has associated risks, there are more pros and cons to consider as well. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of having weight loss surgery.
The Advantages of Weight Loss Surgery
Firstly, bariatric procedures have been proven to be beneficial for people who have tried every other way of losing weight, but who have failed. Realistically speaking, you should be able to lose around 60% of your excess weight within one to two years.
The next benefit is that the fact that you lose so much weight inevitably also means that you are a lot healthier. Most people almost fully send their asthma, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apneas to the background. If you also exercise, you can also reduce your levels acid reflux disease and severe arthritis. In turn, this means that you are less at risk of having a heart attack or stroke, essentially enabling you to live a long and happy life.
Then, there is the fact that your mobility will improve tremendously. Suddenly, you will be able to engage in activities that you properly haven’t even considered for many years. You can start to wear normal clothes, which you can buy from normal sources on the high street. You will notice that your life outlook becomes much more positive and that your self esteem starts to increase. In fact, an improvement in quality of life is reported by 95% of all people who have had the procedure completed.
The Disadvantages of Weight Loss Surgery
You have to be realistic and understand that nothing is perfect, so even bariatric surgery has its downsides. One of the biggest downsides is the potential of complications during surgery. While surgical procedures are becoming safer all the time, and some weight loss surgery is now done laparoscopically, there are also always risks. In fact, there are even risks associated with cosmetic surgery. If you follow all the guidelines provided to you by your surgeon, you significantly reduce your chance of having any complications, but you can never avoid it in full.
Another downside is that, when you lose a lot of weight, you may end up with a lot of excess skin. This is not dangerous to your physical health in any way. However, it may have an emotional impact as you believed that you would simply go back to being skinny after the procedure. This, unfortunately, s often not the case, at which point you may want to consider cosmetic surgery to have the excess skin removed.
Lastly, some people, and particularly those who lose a lot of weight very quickly, feel that They lost not just weight but also their personality. People identify with their weight, and when this changes rapidly, it is common to feel lost. Unfortunately, oved ones often feel the same, which is why the rates of divorce as so high among people who have had a bariatric procedure happen nowhere to be seen.